254. Слово в день Благовещения Пресвятыя Богородицы

(Said in Chudov Mon. March 25; printed in the Works of the Holy Father of 1850 and in the collection of 1861) And He will reign in the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end (Luke 1:33). In the Gospel we have now heard a wondrous conversation between the Archangel and the Blessed Virgin - a conversation in which the great mystery of heaven and earth was revealed, as far as it can be expressed, a conversation through which one can perceive an event that is incomprehensible to earthly and heavenly eyes. When the Archangel said to the Virgin: “Behold, you conceive in the womb, the Holy Spirit will come upon you”; and when the Virgin answered: “Behold the servant of the Lord, be unto me according to Thy word” (Luke 1:31, 35, 38): at that moment, through these words, the earth became engaged to heaven, humanity to the Divine; and as a consequence of this, the Beginningless One was conceived; “The word became flesh” (John 1:14); The Son of God became the Son of man, without ceasing to be the Son of God; The Virgin became heaven and the throne of the Divinity; and in Her is laid, no longer just a promising, but an actual beginning of our salvation and bliss. “What will this be like?” (Luke 1:34) the Blessed Virgin asked about this event in advance, not out of lack of faith, not out of curiosity, but out of a feeling of reverent surprise and concern for the preservation of virginity dedicated to God, when she was foreshadowed to be a mother. Don’t be teasing, inquisitive mind, and ask after the event: how did it happen? An angel will not come to resolve an inappropriate question for you. You see that the saving incarnation of the Son of God has taken place by the miraculous and saving consequences. Do not experience the incomprehensible. Humble yourself before infinite wisdom. Reverence her mystery. Marvel at the deep condescension of the Almighty. Praise and thank Him for this undeserved, priceless gift. Embrace the salvation provided by faith, without torturing the Savior God by the judgment of human wisdom. However, the Lord said: “Test the Scriptures” (John 5:39). So let us allow ourselves the test that can be accessible and instructive to us. After the first, sublime, but still vague greeting to the Blessed Virgin, the Archangel saw that She was in fear. “Do not be afraid of Miriam” (Luke 1:30), he said. Why, at the same time as he tried to free Her from fear, did he continue to say something that was even more amazing and terrible, and whose proclamation, apparently, could be delayed? Why did he not only announce that She, being a Virgin, would give birth to a Son, which announcement was the purpose of his embassy, ​​but also added that this Son would be Great, the Son of the Most High, the Savior, the King, and, moreover, the King of such a kingdom that will have no end? This was necessary according to the law by which faith operates, and which we know from the following words of Christ: “Even if you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes” (Mark 9:23). Therefore, it was possible for the Most Blessed Mariam as much as she could believe. So, in order for Her to be able to give birth to the God-Man, the Savior, the King of the eternal kingdom, for this it was necessary that She first heard and believed that she must give birth to the God-Man, the Savior, the King of the eternal kingdom. Let us admire, brethren, this unparalleled high faith of the Blessed Virgin, before whom, the very father of believers, Abraham, faith in the prophecy of the birth of Isaac, from old age infertility, is less than a grain of pea 701 compared to the cedar of Lebanon. Let us reverently and joyfully thank the Most Blessed Mariam for having this faith, without which we would not have Christ the Savior, the King who promises us the kingdom of heaven and the eternal. At the same time, brothers, let us educate ourselves about the power of faith. She was able to contain the inconceivable God in the person of the Blessed Virgin, not only spiritually, but also physically. And bodily, I say, Her faith contained God: and at this I am all the more amazed, the more, in comparison with the spirit, the body seems removed from conformity and affinity with God the Spirit, both in its very corporeality, and in its limitations, and in its corruption. In what ways could our faith not satisfy us, for which there are incomparably lesser demands than for the faith of the Virgin Mary? Are real manifestations of faith often enough among us, palpably elevated above nature, clearly marked by grace? And therefore, don’t we need to pray with the Apostles to the Lord: “add us faith” (Luke 17:5)? But the Lord, without rejecting prayer, turns to us the demand for faith. “If they had faith like the grain of a mountain, they would quickly say to this buttock, “Be delighted, and ride into the sea, and she would listen to you” (Luke 17:6). That is: oh that you had the beginnings of faith from the sincere disposition of your heart! Then surely you would receive great power from grace. So it's up to you, not God. Have a heartfelt disposition to believe, which depends on you: and God will not fail 702 to impart to you strong faith, which is a gift of His grace. Let us not ignore the peculiarity that the faith of the Blessed Virgin Mary required preliminary recognition of the Son predicted to Her, not only as the Son of God and the Savior of men, but also as a King, as essential for the sacrament of the incarnation: “He will reign in the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end” (Luke 1:33). From this we must conclude that our faith, along with recognition in the person of Jesus, the Son of God, the God-man, our Savior, also requires recognition of our King in Him, as essential for saving faith. In fact, it is clear that this belief is necessary when the Lord Jesus, although usually moving away from human glory, although one day, “realizing that they wanted to come, that they would snatch Him up and make Him a King,” hastened to hide from this (John 6:15); but, during His solemn entry into Jerusalem, at the request of the Pharisees, that He prohibited the exclamations addressed to Him: “Blessed is the King who comes,” not only did he not prohibit, but also confirmed that if people had remained silent, the stones would have proclaimed Him King: “If these remain silent, the stone will cry out” (Luke 19:38, 40). Likewise, when the title of king threatened Him with death, He only corrected the inaccurate concept of His kingdom, saying: “My kingdom is not of this world”; but to Pilate’s question: “Are You a king?” answered without hesitation 703: “You say that I am a King,” you say rightly that I am a King (John 18:36–37). Finally, after His resurrection, He Himself proclaimed His royal power: “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18); and also in foreshadowing His world judgment, He called Himself King: “Then the King says to those on His right hand: Come, blessed of My Father” (Matthew 15:34). Christ reigns throughout the entire universe as Creator and Provider, especially in heaven as the King of Glory, on earth in the Church as in the kingdom of grace. He reigns here with His Word as the law of the kingdom; and by His Spirit, as royal power. His kingdom penetrates the soul, through grace on His part, through faith and love on our part, as He said: “The kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21); That’s why we pray: “Thy kingdom come.” From the kingdom, which “is not of this world,” He extends His royal action to the kingdoms and peoples of this world, blessing, improving and prospering the authorities and people favorable to His spiritual kingdom, and those who rebel against it, and especially after submitting to Him, betrayed them, bringing to the action the formidable definition of God the Father who entrusted Him with the kingdom 704: “I have preserved with a rod of iron; For I have broken the vessels of the wicked” (Ps. 2:9). Finally, on the last day of the world, Christ will appear as the King-Judge of the world, to reward everyone according to his deeds, and to transform the temporary and preparatory kingdoms of nature and grace into a single eternal kingdom of glory. Christians! It is pleasant for us to look at Christ as our Savior, who takes away our sins, reconciles eternal justice with us, frees us from eternal condemnation, transforms us from the sons of wrath into the sons of God, with the right of an inheritance from heaven. We will be grateful and fair. Let us not forget to look at Him as our King, who reigns in order to improve our spiritual life, to protect and protect us from hostile forces, to form us into worthy citizens of the kingdom of heaven, capable of eternal bliss; and Who, for this very reason, requires from us perfect obedience to His sovereignty. There is only one Son of God, Jesus Christ, Savior and King, and He does not share these qualities with which He marked Himself in His very incarnation. Unless you want to have Him as your King, you cannot have Him as your Savior. Did your godfather tell you that you took an oath of allegiance to Christ the King? - Exactly, you gave it when, at baptism, through the mouth of the recipient, you repeatedly confessed that you renounce Satan and all his ministry, and unite and worship Christ as King and God. Be constantly attentive so as not to be deceived, and so as not to become a perjurer and a traitor. If you have not remained faithful to Christ the King in your heart and in life, in word and in deed; and if you do not make up for certain infidelities, weaknesses and imprudence that have occurred with repentance and correction, then you will lose the right to the protection of Christ the King, and to the mercy of Jesus the Savior, and by the deeds of your unfaithfulness you will be counted among the tottering and restless, whom He will “hold with a rod of iron,” and “as the vessels of the wicked will break.” Be faithful to the King Christ, with Orthodox faith, in obedience to His Holy Church, faithful to unfeigned love, which overcomes all earthly passions, faithful to a well-lived life according to the commandments and teachings of the Gospel, faithful and hasty in the sincere recognition of your sins and in restoring the purity of conscience, before death hastened to close the doors of repentance. Hear Christ himself commanding and promising: “Be faithful even unto death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Rev. 2:10). Amen. In the author’s manuscript, these words are written in pencil over the crossed out word: “blade of grass.” Handwritten Instead of these words, the author’s words were crossed out: “he will not leave.” Handwritten Instead of these words, the author’s words were crossed out: “decisively.” Handwritten Instead of these words, the author’s words were crossed out: “leaving...the Heavenly Father.” You might be interested in: